2nd axe (tomahawk)

[Rhettbarnhart]

Here is my second axe,first try at a tomahawk.I have a question about the handle;I drifted the eye with a teardrop drift,from the top of the tomahawk.How do I wedge the handle in the tomahawk body?Right now I just slide it up the handle as far as it will go and use it like that,but I don't think that is right.

Comments and critique welcome

[Geoff Keyes]

That is exactly how it's supposed to work.  If the handle ends up too long, as if you didn't get the drift in far enough, cut the remainder off.  If the head slides up too far, wrap a thin piece of leather or cloth around the head.  I should work like a mattock handle.

 

BTW, your example, while very nice, is rather too massive to be a "real" hawk :rolleyes:.  It's more like a fokos, or a Shepard's axe.  There is a nice Wiki article on them.  It might give you some different ideas about handles.

 

Geoff

[Rhettbarnhart]

Thanks for the help Geoff what Is a typical length for a tomahawk head?

[Geoff Keyes]

There are huge historical variations.  My throwers (which are cast cheapies) are fairly stubby, 4 inches maybe?  I have seen historical pieces that run from long and skinny (8-10 inches) to wide and fat (4-6 inches) and all kinds of shapes besides.  As a tool, you don't want it too long or top heavy,  As a weapon, top heavy might be an advantage.

 

There is a wonderful site called "Fur Trade Axes and Tomahawks" on the web.  Lots of good pictures.

 

In general yours has way more mass in front of the eye than most of the vintage pieces I've seen.  The trade era pieces were mostly mass produced in Europe, as cheaply as possible.  There are a few pieces made in NA, but since steel and iron were scarce, they are also very thin.

 

Geoff

[Jimmy Wallbanger]

looks a lot like a cool splitting maul to me. Very cool either way. the way  I break splitting handles it would be nice to have one like that